Remember to smile
by KouJinna
Summary: Hope and despair are like two sides of a coin. Without one, the other will cease to exist. That is why no one deserves to only live in despair. Remember to wipe that frown, put on a smile, and face tomorrow. Komaeda X OC


Water droplets glistened on the metal poles on the streets and puddles shimmered on the sidewalks. A large typhoon had passed. The sky was always beautiful after a typhoon but the aftermath was not.

There sat a boy on a seat for the bus stop. His dark green hood shielded his face from the reappearing sun in the sky.

"Huh? A typhoon hit?" a soft voice murmured from the boy. He removed his hood to reveal round light grey eyes and messy white hair.

He yawned slightly and rubbed his eyes lazily. He stood from his seat and stretched his arms.

"I better get moving then," he murmured again.

He treaded the empty streets aimlessly. His feet would make a small splash from the puddles every now and then. There was no other significant living existence other than him. The whole place was dense with loneliness.

"Excuse me…"

The boy paused. Someone was calling him. There was a moment of silence.

"Excuse me, do you by chance know where the train station is?" the voice asked again. It sounded like it came from a female.

He turned around on his heel to face a girl about ten centimeters below his height. He wouldn't call her short. He was considered very tall for his age. This girl only being ten centimeters shorter is already pretty tall already.

She had black hair that was tied in a ponytail and held up with a black hair clamp. Her eyes were dark, almost black. She wore a dark blue blazer, light blue shirt, blue jeans, and brown low-heeled boots. She was beautiful and her voice sounded strong.

"Hello?" she blinked at the unresponsive boy.

"Sorry, my name is Komaeda Nagito," he murmured. He wasn't sure if she heard him. He did speak very softly after all.

"I'm Fujimoto Kohaku. Nice to meet you Komaeda-san," she replied.

He was secretly surprised by her accepting attitude. There was no sense of hesitance or awkwardness. It was just a simple friendly exchange. He swallowed his insecurity and looked at her in the eyes. They were approximately one meter apart.

_Why did she not back away? With my messed-up hair and dark clothing I look like a street kid. How can she greet me so casually?_

"Komaeda-san, am I asking for too much?" she queried.

Komaeda immediately shook his head and looked back at her. It took him a few seconds to process an appropriate sentence.

"Fujimoto-san…the train station is three blocks away," he said while pointing at a street post. "You take a right there and continue walking until you see a pathway of stairs that leads to the train station."

"Ah I see, thank you very much Komaeda-san," Fujimoto nodded politely before ambling off.

Something struck Komaeda. He felt a sharp pang of loneliness crawl in his gut. The feeling only grew when he felt Fujimoto brush past him.

"Wait," he objected and grabbed her wrist. His round grey eyes widened at his sudden action. It seemed to shock the girl as well.

"Is something wrong?" she questioned. Her tone wasn't harsh but it held a sense of curiosity.

"I just need to go to the train station too. Do you mind if I tag along?" he suggested reluctantly. That was obviously a lie. She had seen him walk aimlessly. He had nowhere to go. He was just finding excuses.

When he saw a smile form on her lips, his eyes widened again.

"No problem, I don't mind at all."

"Thank you…" he muttered and pulled his hood up to cover his face.

_Ever since mother and father passed away, no one has ever shown such kindness to me. Though some did try to open up to me but my secretive attitude seemed to scare them off. I was just really socially awkward and misunderstood._

"Komaeda-san, how old are you?"

That question caught him off guard but he answered it anyway.

"Thirteen," he replied.

"What a coincidence, so am I," she grinned. It was a toothy grin, just a simple happy grin. He honestly envied how she could smile so easily. He never truly smiled. The last time he smiled was lost in some distant memory he could not recall. However, her smile encouraged him to do the same.

"Do you go to junior high?" Komaeda removed his hood, willing to open up to her.

"Yes. It is my last year too. High school exams are coming up," she nodded. "Oh yeah, Komaeda-san, what high school are you planning to join?"

"I really don't know. I'll have to see if fate will take me somewhere," he admitted shrugging his shoulders.

"I wish you good luck. I just want to get into a school that can help me become a doctor of some sort," Fujimoto stated.

"Why become a doctor?" Komaeda questioned.

Fujimoto paused in her steps making Komaeda's arm brush against her shoulder. Her eyes were dark, even darker than her usual color.

"M-my past…could've been changed if someone like a doctor appeared in time…"

Komaeda's eyes widened and his heart beat steadily. His lips parted to say something but he decided to not say anything. He seems to have hit her sensitive spot.

"That's why I want to become a doctor and not allow others to suffer the same way I did. I want to be the hope that shines down upon them. No one deserves to drown in despair. When you think about it, hope and despair are like two sides of a coin. Without one the other will cease to exist."

_Hope…?_

_I honestly haven't heard the word said with such determination. Could she really make a difference if she worked hard enough? If what she said is true about hope and despair, then doesn't that mean that someday she will drown in despair?_

"Of course, everyone will drown in despair at some point," she said almost reading out his thoughts. "Death is inevitable but witnessing at least one spark of hope is needed. If you only live in the darkness of despair, that isn't living at all. I want to show those who have only seen despair see the light. They deserve to be loved and feel warmth. No one was born on this earth to feel only despair and coldness."

At that moment, a bright sunray shone down on them both. The golden light made her black hair and dark eyes turn into a pleasant dark brown. Her determined smile defined her current look.

_Is this what they call hope? Has she already begun to fulfill her mission? What is this warmth I'm feeling deep down inside?_

"So, Komaeda-san, could we be friends? I honestly don't see you as anyone sinister," she suggested while holding out a hand with long sculpted fingers.

His expression changed at the word 'friend.' He subconsciously took his hand out of his pocket and it made contact with hers. His cold pale hand felt warm for the first time.

"Komaeda-san, you've suffered a lot, huh? I can tell. Your eyes are lost. Have you been living in despair this entire time?"

_She is a complete opposite of that woman…Enoshima Junko. How can she read me? Is my heart that obvious?_

"I'll take that as a yes. Remember what I told you today. Komaeda-san, we all have the potential to shine. I am nothing special. I was just infected with the hope that light will illuminate us once again. Whether you wish to shine this light or not is your choice. Remember to always look on the bright side no matter how dire the situation. You can always figure your way out calmly."

Their fingers interlaced and Komaeda felt his own smile forming across his pale face.

"Thank you…Kohaku…"

"Eh?" she was caught off guard by him suddenly saying her given name.

Komaeda immediately looked away feeling awkward. "I-I mean Fujimoto-san…" he quickly stuttered.

A light hand patted his head gently. Long fingers burrowed into his thick white hair.

"You can call me Kohaku. Is it okay if I call you Nagito?" Her brown eyes bore into his light grey ones.

Tears started forming around the edges of his eyes as he smiled.

"Y-yes…you can, Kohaku," he gave her a wholehearted smile. Tears spilled out as Kohaku patted him on the head.

"I am your friend…even if we are separated."

Komaeda stood next to Tsumiki Mikan in the first class trial that involved the death of Togami Byakuya. He had smiled and always looked on the bright side like Kohaku had some him to. However, deep down, he really misses her.

He looked over to the ditsy, clumsy Super High-School Level Nurse. He felt a sharp feeling puncture his gut. That could've been Kohaku standing there. If only she didn't have to leave for America and stayed in Japan a little longer. She could've taken Tsumiki's spot and be standing next to him.

He craved to her bright hopeful smile again. He has been fighting to find what was right. Enoshima Junko had gotten the better of him. In fact she had gotten the better of them all.

_Kohaku…where are you? Ever since Junko took over the place…the outside world must be filled with despair. Is your light strong enough to reach all of us? You could've been the hope that fights with us Super High-School Levels. I guess it can't be helped. Your hope is still buried deep inside my despair. I just need to find it and perhaps spread it to all the others. I really miss you Kohaku…I do…_

Kohaku sat in the office building waiting for the Future Foundation to make their appearance. Ever since the World's Most Despair-Inducing Incident occurred, she was called to Tokyo to meet with the Future Foundation. She wanted to fight alongside them.

Kohaku had successfully become a medical doctor. She was still training to become an even greater one than she already is. She still believes that there is still room for improvement. She wore a pair of titanium framed glasses since her vision was not as sharp as it used to be.

A girl with long light lavender hair greeted her. She introduced herself as Kirigiri Kyoko.

"Doctor Fujimoto, welcome to the Future Foundation," Kirigiri smiled holding out a gloved hand.

"Indeed, thank you Kirigiri-san," Kohaku nodded shaking her hand.

Kohaku entered the office and encountered two males dressed in suits. One of them was Togami Byakuya, the heir to the great Togami family, and Naegi Makoto, the one who started the Future Foundation.

"Doctor Fujimoto, we would like you to observe a situation we've had recently," Togami said while pushing up his glasses.

"I see. I heard from Kirigiri-san that it is on Jabberwock Island. I take it that the mutual killing there is over?" Kohaku questioned while crossing her arms.

"Yes," Naegi nodded. "We do not have our spy Nanami Chiaki. We need someone to at least watch over the island. The majority of the students are comatose."

"I see…" Kohaku said rubbing her chin. "I shall see to it."

"Thank you Doctor Fujimoto," Naegi smiled.

Kohaku jumped down from the helicopter and landed on the sandy beach of Jabberwock Island. She was greeted by a small group of high school students around her age. Judging by the number that greeted her, many were still comatose.

"I am Doctor Fujimoto Kohaku. Please show me the patients," Kohaku demanded.

The group of teenagers led her to a series of cottages. They left her alone to do her work.

She ambled around the little neighborhood until she spotted a specific cottage that caught her attention. It was Komaeda Nagito's.

A sudden pang of sadness struck her. She twisted the doorknob of the cottage and entered it. There she found him lying still on the bed. One of his hands seemed to be replaced by someone else's. Her eyes narrowed when she realized that it was a woman's hand. She suspected it to belong to Enoshima Junko.

She took a chair from the nearby desk and sat next to comatose boy. He had hardly changed at all since the last time she saw him. That was three years ago. His hair only got thicker and messier and he grew considerably tall.

"180 centimeters," she chuckled. "I'm only 170 centimeters…it's still ten centimeters apart, right? Do you still remember the first time we met?"

She held his real hand. It was cold and limp. It was almost dead but she could feel a tiny pulse from his palm.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't return to you in time. From what Hinata-san told me, you were a really eccentric fellow. I'm guessing that you were talking about hope and despair. You acted like no one loved you, huh?"

As she expected there was no response. It was like talking to a wall.

She felt her hand touch his head. It was still as fluffy as ever. She missed it.

"I know you can hear me, Nagito. It's fine if you can't talk back. Just so you know I am here to help everyone wake up again. That includes you. I'm so sorry that I couldn't be there for you when you needed it. You tried to fight back. In the end, you found yourself working against an organization of people all by yourself. It's still not too late."

Her grip tightened her nose burned and her eyes began to water.

"You suffered so much. I truly don't think that you deserve to be misunderstood. Hinata-san has told me everything you've done. Even now, I still can't hate you. I can never hate you. Nagito…I've really wanted to see you smile again just like that day…after the typhoon…"

Salty tears dripped down her chin and rained onto his hand. Her fingers interlaced with his as she cried beside his bed. She was happy to find him still alive before her but also hurt to learn how much he had suffered.

Kohaku coughed up her sobs and removed her glasses. She wiped away the excess water and changed her expression.

"Nagito, I will save you from this despair…because…I love you."

Komaeda felt himself drowning in a pool is darkness. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. He felt chained against the floor of the pool.

A small smile crept up his face when he heard Kohaku's confession. He indeed could hear every single word she had said.

_It took you long enough, Kohaku. _

"Nagito, I will save you from this despair…because…I love you."

His eyes widened. He chuckled mentally to himself. How many times has she surprised him?

_I love you too, Kohaku. Do your best to shine on the rest of us. I have waited long enough. I am glad to feel your warmth radiating beside me. I haven't forgotten to smile. Thank you for coming back._


End file.
